Gravestoned

Epitaph: She hath given up the ghost

2012-02-09T06:35:00.000-05:00

A gothic tablet on a substantial base marks the grave of Han Carpenter (d. 1872). The stone bears an attractive carving of a bouquet of flowers.

HAN,
WIFE OF
L.W. CARPENTER
DIED
AUG. 25, 1872:
AGED
36 Yrs. 2 Mo.

She hath given up the ghost, her sun

hath gone down while it was yet day.

Jer. 15. 9

Sunbury Memorial Park, Delaware County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Abigail and Mary Griste

2012-02-08T06:35:00.000-05:00

Abigail Griste (d. 1824) and Mary Griste (d. 1824), who died only nine days apart, are buried side by side. Are they sisters?

Abigail Griste,
died Sept. 2^nd 1824:
Aged 3 years &
6 months.

Mary Griste
died Sept. 11^th 1824:
Aged 1 year &
6 months.

Sunbury Memorial Park, Delaware County, Ohio

A War of 1812 draftee

2012-02-07T06:35:00.000-05:00

There is a War of 1812 marker next to the gravestone for John B. Griste (d. 1840). According to History of Delaware County and Ohio by William Henry Perrin (1880), Griste was drafted.

The war of 1812 affected Berkshire not essentially different from the other townships of the county removed from the frontier. Judge Carpenter furnished a large quantify of oats for the army, and John B. Grist and David Armstrong, who had been drafted, were detailed as teamsters to haul them to their destination.

In memory of
JOHN B. GRISTE,
who died Oct. 27,
1840.
in the 61^st Year
of his Age.

The stone carver, Griffiths, carved his (her?) name beneath the epitaph, which is sourced in stone—Job 14:14.

If a man die, shall he live again?
all the days of my appointed time
will I wait, till my change come.

Perrin mentions John B. Grist (Griste) several times, including this amusing anecdote:

An incident connected with the digging of the well near this [David Armstrong’s] house illustrates the fact that all the marvelous stories are not of latter-day grownth. John B. Grist did the digging, and, in going down, struck a six-foot stratum of slate stone. About midway of this layer, Grist found, imbedded in the solid stone, a toad, to all appearances lifeless. He tossed it out upon the ground, where it soon showed signed of animation, and before long hopped off as natural as though it had never been buried.

Sunbury Memorial Park, Delaware County, Ohio

Sleepy epitaphs

2012-02-06T06:35:00.000-05:00

Sleep is a popular and enduring metaphor for death. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the graveyard, especially in the epitaphs on 19-century gravestones.

Salina Nettleton (d. 1848)

Sleep on sweet Child & take thy rest
God called the hence he saw it best.

Jesse Rowles (d. 1835)

Go home dear friends and do not weep,
I am not dead but here to sleep;
Though cold and silent is my bed,
My rest is sweet, my sorrows fled.

I here will slumber underground,
Untill the last loud trump will sound
Then burst my tomb with sweet surprise,
And in my saviours image rise.

William Radley Arrison (d. 1844)
Amelia Isabella Arrison (d. 1844)

Sleep, brother, sister, side by side,
No chance, no change can you divide;
Togather in the dust you lie,
Together tread the courts on high.

If once the eye of faith could see
Your full, complete felicity,
How would our sad repinings cease,
And all our sighs be hushed in peace.

Elizabeth Jones (d. 1871)

She’s gone – and many lone ones
In bitterness will weep.
That death o’er one so young and loved
Would spread its blighting sleep.

Katie L. McCarty (d. 1882)

SLEEP ON MY SWEET ONE!
SLEEP! SO EARLY GONE;
TO EARTH A CHILD IS LOST,
TO HEAVEN A CHERUB BORN.

Margaret J. Thomas (d. 1877)

Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep
From which none ever wakes to weep
A calm and undisturbed repost
Unbroken by the last of foes.

Cheshire Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
West Rushville Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio
Blendon Central Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio
Fargo Methodist Episcopal Cemetery, Morrow County, Ohio
Somerset Cemetery, Perry County, Ohio
Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Lichen

2012-02-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Epitaph: Death has been here

2012-02-04T08:42:00.002-05:00

Steps away from the grave of an older Jacob Colflesh is the grave of Jacob L. Colflesh (d. 1847).

Are they father and son? Are they related in some other way? For now, I will leave their relationship to a descendant to confirm.

JACOB L,
son of
J, & E, COLFLESH,
DIED
Dec. 18, 1847,
Aged 17
Y’s 10 mo’s
26 d’s.

Death has been here, and bourn away,
A brother from our side;
Just in the morning of his days,
A blooming youth he died.

The epitaph is adapted from the first verse of a hymn written by English poet Jane Taylor (b. 1783, d. 1824). This hymn was often published in Sunday school hymnals for children.

Death has been here, and borne away
A [sister]* from our side:
Just in the morning of [her]† days,
As young as we, [she]‡ died.

Not long ago [she] fill’d [her] place,
And sat with us to learn;
But [she] has run [her] mortal race,
And never can return.

Perhaps our time may be as short,
Our days may fly as fast;
O Lord, impress the solemn thought,
That this may be our last.

We cannot tell who next may fall
Beneath Thy chast’ning rod:
One must be first: oh, may we all
Prepare to meet our God.

All needful help is Thine to give;
To Thee our souls apply
For grace to teach us how to live,
And make us fit to die.
* Or, brother. † Or, his. ‡ Or, he.

By the way, Jane Taylor’s most famous work is “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Riddle me this

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

All that is visible on the marker at the grave of James Riddle is his name—and a graceful hand with a finger pointing heavenward. Above the hand you can just make out the popular gravestone sentiment, “There is rest in Heaven.”

One online repository of gravestone photos in the area proposes that the gravestone reads Aug 23, 1863, aged 62 y 6 m 8 d, though the source of this date is not offered.

The same site shows another marker, which I did not photograph, with the inscription Father, James Riddle, 1801 — 1863.

Do we have two James Riddles? Or two markers for the same James?

Here is a hint: An Ancestry.com search reveals an 1850 Federal Census record showing a James Riddle family living in the township. James Riddle, a grocer, is the 49-year-old head of household. Among the children in the home is 9-year-old James.

Perhaps the two gravestones are for these two James Riddles: The father, born in 1810; the son, born about 1841.

When the younger James Riddle died is a mystery for now, even though the gravestone, if it is indeed his, holds the answer tantalizingly close, inches below ground in Milford Center Cemetery.

Milford Center Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

Weeping... palm?

2012-02-02T06:35:00.000-05:00

The sandstone marker at the grave of Nancy C. Saunders (d. 1849) is a simple one with a modest willow carving. Look closely at the willow: The leaves look more like palm leaves than willow leaves.

NANCY C.
wife of E. Saunders
died May 2,
1849; aged 30
yrs. 5 m. & 1 D.
If Nancy’s husband was Erasmus Saunders who is buried nearby, then she died a widow, a young widow. His gravestone shows that he died in 1840 at age 27.

An image of a Union County marriage record, available on FamilySearch.org, suggests that Nancy and (yes) Erasmus were married in 1837. Can you read it? Nancy Coodidge? Collage? I’m thinking Coolidge.

Milford Center Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Ophelia Rose

2012-02-01T06:35:00.000-05:00

The marble marker at the grave of Ophelia Rose (d. 1824) is broken and flat on the ground, but for now is easy to read, especially for an 1820s gravestone.

OPHELIA
daughter of
Warren & Lucy
Rose died
Nov. 1, 1824.
Aged 5 mo
14 ds
According the an extract of Ohio marriage records available on FamilySearch.org, Warren Rose married Lucy Hubbard (Hibbard?) on February 22, 1822 in Union County, Ohio.

After living long lives, Warren and Lucy were buried next to Ophelia in Milford Center Cemetery.

Milford Center Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

An intentionally misplaced gravestone

2012-01-31T06:45:00.000-05:00

The oldest gravestone that I have found in this part of Ohio is an old slate marker, but it does not belong here. It belongs in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania at the graves of Jean Mitchell (d. 1746) and David Mitchell (d. 1757).

In memory of Jean
Mitchell who dep^d
this life August the
2^d 1746 aged 40 YEars
& David Mitchell
who dep^d this life
November the 7 1757
aged 76 years.
The old slate stone is mounted on a larger memorial that explains how the slate gravestone found its way to Ohio.

This David Mitchell, head of our line of Mitchells in America, born in 1681, probably near Oromore, County Down, N.E. Ireland, settled in S.W. Lancaster County, Pa., Drumore Twp. about 1713, and was buried in the Morrison graveyard, near Chestnut Level, Pa. where W. G. Mitchell, my brother, and I, personally found this tablet with other Mitchell graves.

Because the graveyard was being rapidly obliterated, we brought the tablet with us in 1928. David Mitchell’s will, with other legal papers found in the records of Lancaster County Pa., “was duly proven Nov. 21, 1757.” The children named in this will were Samuel, Jean, Abraham, Margaret, Heleanor, Sarah, George and David. Samuel and his wife are buried under this monument. (Erected in 1947)

The legend is signed J. F. Mitchell, who is identified on FindAGrave.com as James Franklin Mitchell (b. 1867, d. 1947).

J. F. Mitchell is buried near his ancestors in Mitchell Cemetery.

Does the old slate gravestone belong here or there? What would you do if you came upon a cemetery in serious disrepair? Would you collect your ancestor’s stones to save them from possible destruction?

Mitchell Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

Fragments: Horace Andrews

2012-01-30T06:40:00.000-05:00

The gravestone that once marked the grave of Horace Andrews (d. 1859) is broken and two large pieces lean against the standing gravestone for Catharine Michael (d. 1862).

HORACE ANDREWS.
DIED
Apr. 22, 1859
AGED
69 Yrs. [4?] ms.
& 16 da’s

Milford Center Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

Graveyard gray

2012-01-29T08:30:00.000-05:00

Old Darby Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

A classic epitaph

2012-01-28T07:36:00.000-05:00

The gravestone for John Everett (d. 1857) has been flat on the ground for a number of years. In fact, there are quite a few stones laid flat alongside the old church building at Liberty Church Cemetery.

Are they in their original locations? Or are the graves to which they belong now unmarked?

JOHN EVERETT
DIED
July 26, 1857.
AGED
23 ys. 11 mo. 28 ds.
The epitaph is a young man’s version of a classic. Spend any time at all in an old graveyard and you are sure to find some version of this epitaph:

Stop young friend as you passby
As you are now so once was I
As I am now so you must be
Prepare for death and follow me.

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

A draped monument

2012-01-27T06:35:00.000-05:00

The monument that marks the grave of John F. Cummins (b. 1836, d. 1897) is modest, with nicely carved drapery that has been “died” brownish-orange with lichen.

(Or is it algae? Must study up on identifying lichen, algae, and mosses.)

JOHN F.
CUMMINS,
BORN
NOV. 20, 1836,
DIED
DEC. 27, 1897.
ASLEEP IN JESUS
A quick search on FamilySearch.org yields a potential document for this Mr. Cummins: A marriage record. John F. Cummins married Emily Everett on July 25, 1875 in Delaware County.

Delaware County Burials published online by Delaware County Genealogical and Historical Societies lists this Mr. Cummins as John Frank Cummins.

The 1870 Federal Census for Orange Township in Delaware County (adjacent to the cemetery’s township) shows Frank Cummins as head of household with Emily Everett, housekeeper, residing in the home.

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Until death do us part

2012-01-26T06:35:00.000-05:00

Thomas B. Berry (d. 1856) was only 35 years old when he died. His wife, Maria Berry (d. 1900) lived as an unmarried widow until her death. She was 79.

Maria is buried with her husband, her inscription added to his gravestone.

Thos. B. BERRY
DIED
Feb. 3, 1856
Aged
35 Y’16 D’s
———
MARIA HIS WIFE
DIED DEC. 16, 1900
AGED 79 Y. 1M. 4D.
The book carved on the monument is most likely meant to be a Bible. The words inscribed on the pages are too weathered to read today.

Prospect Cemetery, Marion County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Infant Harrold

2012-01-25T06:40:00.000-05:00

Tiny Red Bank Cemetery offers only one tiny clue to the family of Infant daughter Harrold (d. 1844): Nearby is the grave of a possible relative, James Harrold, who died in 1823 at about 52 years of age.

In Memory of
An INFANT
daughter of
D & E. HARROLD
died Dec. 1, 1844;
Aged 10 days
The small tablet marker has no decorative carvings, but the shape itself is decorative with its gothic-arch-shaped tympanum and rounded shoulders.

Red Bank Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Grandpa was a male

2012-01-24T17:20:00.000-05:00

After all this time, I noticed only yesterday that the 1900 Federal Census lists Hallie Grover O’Neal (b. 1890, d. 1971) as a female.

At best, the name Hallie is gender neutral, but Grandpa was a male.

1900 Federal Census image (Preble Co., OH) from FamilySearch.org

Wife and second wife, side by side

2012-01-23T06:35:00.000-05:00

These matching stones interested me the moment I read them. Both are simply done in white marble. Both have well-intentioned repairs to serious breaks.

Both women, Jane Harrison (d. 1840) and Esther Harrison (d. 1846), were married to the same man. One is declared to be “second wife.”

ESTHER
Second wife of
ISAAC HARRISON
DIED
Feb. 17, 1846.
Aged 57 yrs.

JANE
wife of
ISAAC HARRISON
DIED
July 18, 1840.
Aged 62 yrs.

In April 1907, The “Old Northwest” Genealogical Quarterly published a listing of monument inscriptions (with annotations) for the cemetery, including the inscriptions for the Harrisons:

Curious about where Isaac is buried? Right next to Jane, his first wife.

Blendon Central Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Silent Sunday: Angel darlings

2012-01-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

Woodhill Cemetery, Warren County, Ohio

“Our Family” of one?

2012-01-21T09:12:00.001-05:00

The solid, arched monument proclaims “Our Family” across the arch—but only one name is inscribed, Isiblia J. Bonner (d. 1887).

ISIBLIA J.
wife of
J. BONNER
DIED
Jan. 26, 1887
Aged 55 Ys.
3 M. 9 D.
Not only is there only one name on the monument, it is apparently misspelled. This likely should be Isabella Bonner, wife of John Bonner.

A license for John Bonner and Isabella David to marry was recorded in Delaware County on March 15, 1854. The 1880 Federal Census in Thompson Township, Delaware County shows John and Isabella living on a farm with three children.

1880 Federal Census image from Ancestry.com

The marriage of John Bonner and Malinda Liggett (widow of Joseph Liggett) was recorded in Delaware County on January 25, 1891. The 1900 Federal Census shows John and Malinda Bonner living in Scioto Township, Delaware County. The 1910 Federal Census lists Malinda Bonner as a widow.

Delaware County Burials published online by Delaware County Genealogical and Historical Societies shows Malinda Bonner buried in Mill Creek Cemetery. John Bonner’s burial location is not listed.

Subset of Bonner burials from Delaware County Burials online

Is Isabella buried alone in Radnor Cemetery?

Perhaps John, who may have been a Civil War veteran, is buried next to Isabella after all: There is a GAR star at the gravesite.

Radnor Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

“By hard work and economy”

2012-01-20T06:35:00.000-05:00

A few of the old gravestones in Old Radnor Welsh Cemetery (also known as Troedrhiwdalar Cemetery) are broken, but the cemetery and the church building are being well cared for. In fact, the old church building recently underwent a renovation and, at the time of my visit, was flying a Welsh flag.

The monument at the grave of David Lewis (b. 1817, d. 1877) is a handsome draped obelisk. It offers what I think of as a family history bonus: Place of birth.

DAVID LEWIS
BORN
in Trelech Parish
CARMARTHEN-SHIRE
S. WALES
DIED
SEP. 28, 1877
AGED
60 Yrs. 29 Ds.

For to me to live is
Christ, and to die
is gain.

History of Delaware County and Ohio by William Henry Perrin and O.L. Baskin & Co. (1880) includes a short biographical sketch of David Lewis:

One by one the old settlers of Delaware Co. are passing away; among the highly honored men of the county may be mentioned Mr. Lewis, who was born in South Wales Aug. 29, 1817. He was married in that county at 19 years of age to Miss Anna Thomas, and came to America with his wife and one child and located in Newark, Ohio, where he remained some ten years; he then moved to Delaware Co., and settled on a farm about one and a half miles northwest of Delaware; he worked at his trade of bricklaying in Delaware for a number of years; by hard work and economy he managed to save enough money to purchase a farm, where he engaged in farming for a number of years before his death. He was a member of the Welsh Church from the time the present church was build, for a number of years being a Deacon of this church. After the death of his first wife, he married Miss Margaret Griffiths; five children are living. Mr. Lewis accumulated a good farm of some 240 acres. He departed this life Sept. 29, 1877, a Christian man and a kind father and husband, and respected by his fellow-men. Geo. W. Lewis, who was born in Delaware Co., is conducting the farm.

Old Radnor Welsh Cemetery aka Troedhiwdalar Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Rhoda P. Dean

2012-01-19T06:33:00.000-05:00

When the census taker knocked on the Dean family’s farm house door in July 1850, Rhoda P. Dean (d. 1850) was just four months old. She died before reaching her first birthday.

RHODA P. Daug’r
of Wm. & H. Dean
Died Sept. 5, 1850.
Aged 7 M. & 6 D’s.

1850 Federal Census image from FamilySearch.org

Rivercliff Cemetery, Morrow County, Ohio

Grave images: Doves

2012-01-17T06:33:00.000-05:00

The dove is a traditional Christian symbol for love and peace. It also is a symbol for the Holy Spirit.

Does the direction of a dove’s flight (for example, descending) give us a clue to its intended meaning on a gravestone?

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. (Matthew 3:16)

Not all gravestone doves are in flight. It is not unusual to find the statue of a lifeless dove on a gravestone, especially a child’s: A strong symbol for an innocent life cut short.

Milford Center Cemetery, Union County, Ohio; Pleasant Cemetery, Marion County, Ohio; Darby Township Cemetery, Madison County, Ohio; Cheshire Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio; West Rushville Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio; Thomas Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Epitaph: When the day of life is fled

2012-01-16T06:30:00.000-05:00

The stone that marks the grave of Jane Carver (d. 1846) is a rather plain tablet marker. While some of the lettering is decorative, there are no symbolic carvings—no willows, no urns, no drapery.

There is, however, a poetically hopeful epitaph.

JANE.
Daughter of
S & M. CARVER
DIED
Feb. 26, 1846;
Aged 20 years

Dearest Sister; thou has left us,
Here the loss we deeply feel,
But ’tis God that hath bereft us,
He can all our sorrows heal.

Yet again we hope to meet thee,
When the day of life is fled,
Then in heaven with joy to greet thee,
Where no farewell tear [is shed.]

Samuel Francis Smith

The epitaph is from the hymn “The Departed” by Samuel Francis Smith (b. 1808, d. 1895), a Baptist minister, author, and editor who is perhaps best known as the author of the “My Country, ’Tis of Thee.”

Sister, thou was mild and lovely,
Gentle as the summer breeze,
Pleasant as the air of evening,
When it floats among the trees.

Peaceful be thy silent slumber,—
Peaceful in the grave so low:
Thou no more wilt join our number;
Thous no more our song shalt know.

Dearest sister, thou hast left us;
Here thy loss we deeply feel;
But ’tis God that hath bereft us:
He can all our sorrows heal.

Yet again we hope to meet thee
When the day of life is fled;
Then, in heaven, with joy to greet thee,
Where no farewell tear is shed.

Galena Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Silent Sunday: January

2012-01-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

Oak Grove Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

A restored monument

2012-01-14T08:04:00.000-05:00

The marble gravestone for William James (d. 1875) has a graceful silhouette and a classic willow carving.

Wm. JAMES
DIED
Mar. 15, 1875
In his 62 year.

“Jesus said I am the resurrection
and the life he that believeth in me
though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

The stone, once broken in half, has been repaired and reset on a rough concrete (or other composite material) base. There is a small metal tag affixed to the base that presumably identifies the company that restored the James gravestone:

HARDIN CO. MONUMENT
Dunkirk, OH 45836
419 759 [NNNN]
It is interesting to note that Dunkirk is quite a distance from Liberty Township—75 miles, according to Google Maps. Were there no local craftsmen or companies who would undertake the restoration?

Then again, perhaps whoever arranged for the restoration (a James descendant?) was a Hardin County resident.

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Doorway to...where?

2012-01-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

At first glance, the simple carving on the gravestone for Phebe Jane Kellam in Butter Cemetery appears to be an obelisk on a pedestal.

But why is there a doorway in it?

PHEBE JANE,
Daughter of
George and
Sarah M. Kellam,

The door could be interpreted as a doorway to the afterlife, especially if it were ajar. Or does the carving represent Phebe’s tomb? Is this simply a door such as one you would see on a mausoleum?

Butter Cemetery, Morrow County, Ohio

“First female white child born in Ohio”

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

Last summer I heard that the first female white child born in Ohio was buried in a nearby county.

I love superlatives: first, biggest, smallest, tallest. So at the first opportunity, I checked the cemetery location with Google Maps on my smartphone and headed out to find the grave of the FFWCBIO.

When I reached Mitchell Cemetery, I immediately noticed an engraved boulder that promised me I was in the right spot for the grave of the FFWCBIO.

It took a just a few minutes more to find the grave of Mary Hawn (b. 1791, d. 1881) at the edge of the cemetery next to a cornfield.

Will you forgive me if I confess a moment of disappointment? I didn’t realize it until I stood at the monument, but I had expected to find an early 1800s gravestone for a child or young girl. This was a late 1800s monument for an adult woman.

(Or it may even be a newer, replacement monument. The style of the lettering seems rather modern.)

The moment of disappointment quickly passed. The monument may not be particularly old or unique in its design, but this is the FFWCBIO!

MARY
HAWN
born
mar. 5, 1791
died
june 21, 1861
The monument declares that Mary Hawn was “born in a block house where Cincinnati now stands; and the first white female child born in Ohio.”

According to The History of Union County by Pliny A. Durant (1883),

Philip Hawn settled on Survey 3,750, of 100 acres, in the western part of the township in 1819, and remained there till his death. His wife, Mrs. Mary Hawn, claimed to have been the first white female child born at Cincinnati, where her birth occurred March 5, 1791. Her father was Jacob Linsicome, who came down the Ohio from Pennsylvania in the fall of 1790 and stayed during the ensuing winter with his family within what are now the limits of Cincinnati. Soon after the birth of Mary, he purchased land in Turkey Bottom and removed his family there. He died of small-pox within three years after, and his widow subsequently became the wife of Samuel Edwards. After a short time they moved to a place on the stream called Sycamore, and in 1821 to the Pickaway plains, settling three miles from Circleville. Here Mary married Philip Hawn, and having exchanged her share of her father’s land in Hamilton County for the 100 acres in Jerome, removed to it with her husband in 1819. She survived her husband some years and died at the residence of her son Joseph Hawn near Unionville Center, June 21, 1861.

The 1860 Federal Census for Darby Township in Union County shows a Mary Hohn, 69 years old and born in Ohio, in the John Miner household. Is this our Mary? Mary is not listed in the Joseph Hawn household (which is only a few households away from the Miner household) in 1860.

1860 Federal Census image from Ancestry.com

Was Mary Linsicome Hawn the first female born in Ohio? She evidently believed it to be so—and so does the Union County Historical Society.

Mitchell Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Lewis L. McCay

2012-01-11T06:31:00.000-05:00

The little angel on the gravestone of Lewis L. McCay (d. 1864) points upward, reassuring us that young Lewis has gone on to heaven.

LEWIS L.
son of
J. & E. McCAY,
DIED
Sep. 11, 1864,
Æ. 11y. 8m. 8d.
The stone bears the mark of the monument maker: Cotton, Mt. Vernon (Ohio).

Lewis’s parents appear to be John and Eliza McCay who, together with seven children (all boys!), were living in nearby Porter Township, Delaware County at the time of the 1860 Federal census. Lewis, the middle child of the seven, was 7 years old.

1860 Federal census image from Ancestry.com

Rich Hill Cemetery, Knox County, Ohio

Epitaph: My steadfast heart

2012-01-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

The sandstone marker at the grave of Philanda Crumb (d. 1845) shows signs of weathering, but so far remains easy to read.

Still, it is not impossible to imagine the day when another graveyard visitor looks at the stone and passes by because it is no longer legible.

PHILANDA,
wife of
Wm. S. CRUMB
died July 23,
1845,
Aged 21 years
11 mo. 17 ds.
My lifted eye without a tear,
The gathering storm shall see.
My steadfast heart shall know no fear,
That heart will rest on thee.
The source of this epitaph is somewhat unusual: It was written by a woman! Helen Maria Williams (b. 1761, d. 1827) was a British novelist, poet, and translator of French-language works.

While Thee I seek, protecting Power,
Be my vain wishes stilled;
And may this consecrated hour
With better hopes be filled.

Thy love the power of thought bestowed;
To Thee my thoughts would soar:
Thy mercy o’er my life has flowed;
That mercy I adore.

In each event of life, how clear
Thy ruling hand I see!
Each blessing to my soul more dear,
Because conferred by Thee.

In every joy that crowns my days,
In every pain I bear,
My heart shall find delight in praise,
Or seek relief in prayer.

When gladness wings my favored hour,
Thy love my thoughts shall fill;
Resigned, when storms of sorrow lower,
My soul shall meet Thy will.

My lifted eye, without a tear,
The gathering storm shall see:
My steadfast heart shall know no fear;
That heart will rest on Thee.

William. S. Crumb and Philanda Case were married on March 10, 1842 in Delaware County, Ohio. Both are buried in Williamsville Cemetery.

From FamilySearch.org

Williamsville Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

John Thomas and son Joseph

2012-01-09T06:30:00.000-05:00

Thomas Cemetery is small, inactive cemetery surrounded by a shoulder-high stone wall. It sits well off the road in a residential neighborhood. You could easily drive by without noticing it—or at least not recognizing it as the charming old cemetery that it is.

John Thomas (d. 1858), who was a farmer in the township, is buried next to his young son Joseph Thomas (d. 1853).

JOHN,
THOMAS,
died
June 14, 1858
Aged 43 Yrs.
1 Mo. 13 Ds,
There may have been an epitaph on Mr. Thomas’s gravestone originally, but if so, it was lost when the stone was reset in concrete.

JOSEPH,
Son of John
& Cordelia E.
THOMAS,
Died
June 30, 1853;
Aged 1 year,
5 mos, 22 ds,
History of Delaware County and Ohio by William Henry Perrin (1880) includes a short biography of the widowed Mrs. Thomas:

Mrs. Cordelia Thomas, Hyattsville, was born in Connecticut March 12, 1830; daughter of Salmon Holcomb; her mother’s maiden name was Tuller, both natives of Connecticut; they emigrated to this State when the subject of this sketch was but 6 years of age; they located in Liberty, where they lived until their death. Cordelia was married in her 20th year to John Thomas, a son of David and Mary (Holcomb) Thomas, the latter was one of the earliest settlers in this county; is now 93 years of age; after the marriage of Mrs. Thomas they located on the Whetstone River, adjoining the homestead; lived there until his death which occurred June 14, 1858; they had five children, three living—Lavina (now the wife of Thomas Case), James and John. Mrs. Thomas now resided one mile south of Hyattsville, where she had 100-1/2 acres of land which she has since divided among the children reserving forty acres in her own right; John lives with his mother; was born Feb. 12, 1856.

According to a death record from FamilySearch.org, Cordelia Thomas died May 2, 1905, having lived nearly half a century as a widow.

By the way, Joseph Thomas’s epitaph, though not entirely visible in the photo, appears to be the touching short poem “Epitaph on an Infant” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (b. 1772, d. 1834):

Ere sin could blight or sorrow fade,
Death came with friendly care;
The opening bud to heaven conveyed,
And bade it blossom there.

Thomas Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Late afternoon

2012-01-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

Oak Grove Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

“She resigned her breath”

2012-01-07T08:54:00.000-05:00

Sarah Flanagan Cellar (d. 1823) was the wife of Thomas Cellar, who provided the land for the cemetery in which they both now rest.

In memory of
SARAH FLANAGAN CELLAR
wife of
THOMAS CELLAR;
who departed this life July 18, 1823;
aged 68 years.

As a neighbor, friend, relative, She was greatly
beloved; and having long lived a christian life,
She resigned her breath in hope of immortality.

There is an epitaph at the bottom of the stone, taken from the fourth and fifth verses of the hymn “Now Let Our Souls on Wings Sublime” by Thomas Gibbons (b. 1720, d. 1785), a London clergyman.

Now let our souls on wings sublime,
Rise from the vanities of time,
Draw back the parting veil and see,
The glories of eternity.

Born by a new celestial birth,
Why should we grovel here on earth?
Why grasp at transitory toys,
So near to Heav’n’s eternal joys.

Shall aught beguile us on the road,
When we are walking back to God?
For strangers into life we come,
And dying is but going home.

Welcome sweet hour of full discharge,
That sets our longing souls at large.
Unbinds our chains, breaks up our cell,
And gives us with our God to dwell.

To dwell with God, to feel His love,
Is the full Heav’n enjoyed above;
And the sweet expectation now,
Is the young dawn of Heav’n below.

Let’s not overlook the intricate carvings on this gravestone.

Symbols of grief and mortality (willows, urns) are topped with a stylized sunburst, which can be interpreted as a symbol of the immortality that Mrs. Cellar hoped for when she “resigned her breath.”

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Praying woman...or is it?

2012-01-06T06:30:00.000-05:00

Not long ago I reviewed the photographs I took one summer afternoon in St. John’s Episcopal Cemetery, Worthington, Ohio. One gravestone caught my eye with its carving of a praying figure.

The gravestone for Anthea Garretson (d. 1856) is a rectangular tablet with a carved gothic arch and a woman on her knees in prayer.

ANTHEA,
WIFE OF
HARMAN GARRETSON
Died
Dec. 23, 1856
Aged
[62] Yrs.
But is it the figure of a woman? Do I see the hint of a wing to the right of the figure? It’s an angel!

Check out the photo on Find A Grave. In the right light, the wing outline is obvious.

St. John’s Episcopal Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Epitaph: Now before the throne of God

2012-01-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

Hannah Tinkham (b. 1831) is buried in Africa Cemetery next to her husband, Abel Tinkham, who died several years earlier.

Both gravestones are tall tablets with matching willow-and-urn motifs. Both carry poetic epitaphs borrowed from hymn lyrics.

Hannah, wife of
Abel Tinkham,
died Oct. 23, 1831;
aged 73 years.

She through firey [sic] trials trod,
She through great affliction came,
Now before the throne of God,
Sealed with his eternal name,

The epitaph is adapted from the hymn “What Are These in Bright Array,” lyrics written by James Montgomery (b. 1771, d. 1854), an English hymn writer and poet:

What are these in bright array,
This innumerable throng
Round the altar night and day,
Hymning one triumphant song?
“Worthy is the Lamb, once slain,
Blessing honor, glory, power,
Wisdom, riches, to obtain,
New dominion every hour.”

These through fiery trials trod;
These from great affliction came;
Now before the throne of God
Sealed with His almighty Name,
Clad in raiment pure and white,
Victor-palms in every hand,
Through their dear Redeemer’s might,
More than conquerors they stand.

Hunger, thirst, disease, unknown,
On immortal fruits they feed;
Them the Lamb amidst the throne
Shall to living fountains lead:
Joy and gladness banish sighs;
Perfect love dispel all fear;
And for ever from their eyes
God shall wipe away the tear.

Africa Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Amy Sheets

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

The small tablet marker for Amy Sheets (d. 1849) is not signed, but it was likely carved at the nearby shop of stonecutter John Strickler.

AMY
daughter of
John & Margaret
Sheets, died
July 24, 1849
Aged 3 Yrs.
3 Mo, & 3 ds.

Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

H. F.

2012-01-03T06:30:00.000-05:00

It was a gray afternoon, cool and threatening to rain again as I pulled into tiny Butter Cemetery in Morrow County, Ohio. I had noticed a number of 19th-century markers a few hundred feet off the road.

Too tempting to pass up.

Before the rain eventually chased me away (for this day at least), I noticed a broken willow-and-urn marker with the letters H and F above the double willows.

Interesting. An abbreviation for...what? Maybe a fraternal organization I was not familiar with. Maybe it had religious meaning.

Often the simplest explanation is the best, so I knelt down to check whether I could read the name on the inscription. Of course, the letters are the initials of the deceased: Hosea Fuller (d. 1830).

In Memory
of
Hosea Fuller,
[Died]
[Month?]
22^[nd] 1830 in the [82]
year
of his Age.
The first line of the epitaph, barely visible above the grass line, is a familiar one: Death is a debt to nature due. Perhaps the Fuller stone goes on to complete the old rhyme: Which I have paid and so must you.

Cemetery note. The current sign says “Butter Cemetery,” but this cemetery has also been known as Vining Cemetery and Fargo North Cemetery. Once part of Delaware County, the cemetery is about two miles north of the current boundary between Delaware and Morrow Counties.

Butter Cemetery, Morrow County, Ohio

Grave images: Lambs

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

We see them in so many cemeteries, new or old: Small markers at the graves of infants and children featuring carvings or statues of lambs.

The lamb, a popular Christian symbol for Jesus, represents innocence and purity—the perfect image for a child’s gravestone.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

The lamb’s posture appears to contribute to the symbolism as well. I have not seen gravestone with a standing lamb, have you?

Frieda Louise Hamler, Groveport Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio
Infant and Evy Harris, Mitchell Cemetery, Union County, Ohio
Freddie Bannon, Dublin Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio
Unknown, Oak Grove Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
Isabell Brakebill, Fletcher Chapel Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio
Dearth Infants, Candler Cemetery, Hardin County, Ohio

Silent Sunday: Hazel

2012-01-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

Powell Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Fragments: Joanna H. Winters

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

June 2011

The child-sized stone—a ledger stone or perhaps a table stone fallen from its legs—was never meant to stand erect. Its entire face is filled by inscription, epitaph, and finally, the carver’s signature, John Strickler.

The gravestone for Joanna H. Winters (d. 1836) is easier to read without grasses and such growing between the fragments. Still, it is worth the effort to remember this child by reconstructing the sentiments on her gravestone.

October 2011

Sacred to the memory of
JOANNA. H.
Infant daughter of Rev.
Thomas H. & Harriet
Winters who departed this
life Dec^r 8^th, 1836 aged
6 months & 16 days.
Look carefully at the end of her name. At first glance, I thought the spelling was Joannah. Finally I noticed carved punctuation and decided it is meant to read Joanna H.

October 2011

Filling in the broken and hidden bits with the text from the hymn that is the source (“Death of a Child” by Joel Assac Knight), the epitaph reads,

Alas! How chang’d that lovely flow’r;
Which bloom’d and cheer’d my heart;
Fair fleeting comfort of an hour;
How soon we’re call’d to part.

From adverse blasts, and lowering storms
Her favoured soul he bore
And with yon bright angelic forms
She lives to die no more.

Why should I vex my heart or fret;
No more she’ll visit me
My soul will mount to her at last,
And there my child I’ll see.

I visited Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery twice this year, in June and in October. Neither time were my photos of this stone nearly as legible as the photo that Nancy Ann Mull Buchanan posted on FindAGrave.com in January. Thank you, Nancy, for permission to include your photograph here.

Photo by Nancy Ann Mull Buchanan, January 2011

Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Perry County, Ohio

A proud stone carver

2011-12-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the first thing you notice about the large siltstone marker at the grave of Noah Ruffner (d. 1844) is that it tilts to the left—a lot.

Now compare Mr. Ruffner’s name to the stone carver’s. The carver’s name, John Strickler, is nearly larger than Mr. Ruffner’s!

In memory of
NOAH RUFFNER,
died June
17, 1844
Aged 32 yrs
4 mo. 20 ds.
The workmanship is outstanding. No wonder Mr. Strickler was proud.

Though perhaps the large signature is not about pride. After all, John Strickler is the same stone carver who once carved an advertisement on a gravestone. Maybe he is making sure his brand is recognized.

Note about tilt vs. lean. In October the Ohio Chapter of the Association for Gravestone Studies sponsored a gravestone conservation workshop led by Ta Mara Conde of Historic Gravestone Services (New Salem, MA). One of the tidbits I learned that day was that leaning is for gravestones that are off vertical front to back, face upward or face downward; tilting is for side to side.

Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Epitaph: Bright shining as the sun

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

The sandstone tablet marker at the grave of Joseph Pool (d. 1849) has appeared here before (here and here), but I have overlooked its epitaph—until now.

JOSEPH, POOL,
DIED,
MARCH, 3,
1849,
AGED, 48, YEARS.

When we,v been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We,v no less days to sing Gods praise,
Than when we first begun,

Recognize the verse? We know it today as a verse from the popular hymn “Amazing Grace,” written (mostly) by English poet and clergyman John Newton (b. 1725, d. 1807).

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T’was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God’s praise...
then when we’ve first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

There is more to the story of this epitaph: John Newton did not write it! It did not appear in print as a verse of “Amazing Grace” until Tom sang it in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was not published until 1852.

According to Jonathan Aitken writing in John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace (2007):
The four lines beginning “When we’ve been here ten thousand years” had been orally around in Afro-American worship for at least half a century, for they were from a verse in a hymn often sung in Virginia known as “Jerusalem, My Happy Home.” This verse was established as the new conclusion of “Amazing Grace” by Edwin Othello Excell (b. 1851, d. 1921).
An early manuscript of “Jerusalem, My Happy Home” is in the British Museum today. That manuscript dates to the late 16th or early 17th century.

Williamsville Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Sydner D. Richards

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

I found the name on this small gravestone difficult to read. S...That much is clear. Then what? Y...That is a Y, right? Sylvester? No, too few letters.

I gave up several times before I eventually found the answer on FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch.org yielded birth record and death record extracts for Sydner D. Richards (d. 1883), the son of George Richards and Mary Commons Richards.

Of course it says Sydner! Amazing how easy a gravestone is to read when you already know what it says.

SYDNER D.
son of
G.[H.] & M.A.
RICHARDS
DIED
Aug. 20, 1883
Aged
6 [Ms. &] 6 Ds.
The short epitaph, barely legible, is from Luke 18:16, Suffer little children to come to me.

I suspect a transcription error with the birth record. The death record indicates he was born in 1883, as does his gravestone. Aged 6 [Ms.]

From FamilySearch.org

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Margaret’s prayer bench

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

At first it looks a bit like a small chair, but the monument that marks the grave of Margaret A. Newhouse may be meant to be a prayer bench or kneeler, topped with a heavy Bible.

Margaret is buried in Bokes Creek Cemetery near the graves of her husband, Adam Newhouse (b. 1834, d. 1910), and his second wife, Martha Cowgill Newhouse (b. 1842, d. 1893). Several grave sites (empty? unmarked?) separate them.

MARGARET A.
WIFE OF
A. NEWHOUSE
DIED
JUNE, 15, 1870
AGED
32 YS & 5 MS.

Last winter when there was a bit of snow on the ground, I took my first photos of Margaret’s gravestone, including the spine of the Bible on top.

Bokes Creek Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohiio

Grave images: Scroll

2011-12-26T06:30:00.000-05:00

A scroll carved on a gravestone is often interpreted to represent Christian scriptures. Another popular interpretation is that the scroll represents life and the passage of time.

More often than not, the gravestone inscription is carved on the scroll, which may support the scroll-as-life interpretation.

The scroll began to appear on gravestones in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. Now and then you might notice one on a contemporary stone as well.

Robert Ferguson, Blue Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
Jacob Colflesh, Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
Adelia Grummon, East Liberty Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
Elizabeth Harris, Oller Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
Nelson Edmond Taylor, Blue Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
Abigail M. Marks, Powell Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
Elizabeth Ferguson, Blue Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

A Christmas birthday

2011-12-25T06:30:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth Auzella (Voller) Mayer
December 25, 1886 – May 31, 1956

Elizabeth Voller wedding portrait, 1922

Happy birthday, Grandmother.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Brock’s angel

2011-12-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

A popular post here on Gravestoned is “Angel of Grief,” posted last December. A few months ago, while visiting Ashley Union Cemetery, I spied another, smaller angel of grief at the grave of Brock Anthony Van Scyoc (b. 1987, d. 2006).

In
Loving
Memory
Brock Anthony
Van Scyoc
SEPT. 8, 1987
FEB. 23, 2006

Beloved Son

Only part of Brock’s angel is carved on his stone, but it is not so hard to imagine the entire angel collapsed in grief at his grave.

In comparison, here are the photos from last year’s “Angel of Grief” post:

Photo by Einar Einarsson Kvaran aka Carptrash 17:52, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Brock Van Scyoc, Ashley Union Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
William and Emelyn Story, Protestant Cemetery, Rome, Italy
Nancy Faulk, Jerome Township Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

Grave images: Broken bud

2011-12-22T06:30:00.000-05:00

A broken bud is a symbol for a premature or untimely death—a life that has ended before it has bloomed.

Most often, the broken bud (most I have seen are roses) is found on the gravestone a child or young adult.

By the way, there is a particularly interesting example of a broken bud posted on Gravely Speaking, a blog by Douglas M. Rife.

Lorain M. Andrews, Mill Creek Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio
Anna M. Keys, Maple Grove Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio
Sarah E. Day, Houck Cemetery, Knox County, Ohio
Ada Kennedy, Sunbury Memorial Park, Delaware County, Ohio
Rosa E. and Henrietta H. Adams, Glendale Cemetery, Morrow County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Jean Alberta McClintock

2011-12-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

A child angel stands watch at the grave of Jean Alberta McClintock (b. 1920, d. 1924), “Our Baby.” Is that a rag doll that she is holding? Flowers perhaps?

OUR BABY
JEAN ALBERTA
McCLINTOCK
1920 — 1924

Young Jean’s death certificate identifies her parents, Albert and Edna (Schroeder) McClintock, and her dates of birth and death. It also states a cause of death from a rather uncommon disease, Encephalitis Lethargica, also known as “sleepy sickness” (not sleeping sickness).

From FamilySearch.org

An interesting 2004 health article from BBC News states,

Encephalitis Lethargica was a devastating illness that swept the world in the 1920’s. It attacked the brain, leaving victims like living statues, speechless and motionless. During the outbreak, nearly a million died, and millions more were left frozen inside their useless bodies, in institutions.

According to the U.S. Army Medical Department,

The first case of encephalitis lethargica in the United States on which any data are available occurred in the city of New York on September 4, 1918. ... The portal of entry into North America is not known. However, during the latter half of 1918 the disease spread rapidly throughout the United States, and by May, 1919, cases had been reported from 20 States, the largest numbers occurring in Illinois, New York, Louisiana, Virginia, and Ohio. During that time 255 cases were reported.

Did you read Awakenings by Oliver Sacks? That was Encephalitis Lethargica.

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Young veteran

2011-12-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

William Webster Beardsley (d. 1866) was a young Ohio man who evidently survived his service in the Civil War, only to die a year (minus a few days) after the final shot of the war was fired.

The William Beardsley gravestone is a simpler, smaller version of one we have seen before, the monument to James Vansant. Both gravestones, which are steps apart in Claibourne Cemetery, bear the same eagle-and-shield motif.

Wm. WEBSTER
Son of J. G. & P.
BEARDSLEY,
a member of Co. H. 82 Reg. O.V.I.
DIED
Apr. 4, 1866,
AGED
25 Ys. & 2 Ds.
William’s parents are Job and Patience Beardsley. Patience, who died in 1870, is buried near her son.


Patience Beardslee		James Vansant

Claibourne Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

Christmas is coming

2011-12-18T08:37:00.001-05:00

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Fragments: Mary Jane Case

2011-12-17T10:16:00.001-05:00

Just inside the simple break in the split-rail fence that is the entrance to Liberty Church Cemetery there is a graveyard within the graveyard: Several rows of tablet stones lie face up on the ground. Are they orphan stones, separated from their graves?

The gravestone for Mary Jane Case (d. 1853) is one of these orphan stones, broken in two pieces. One of the roses carved on the gravestone is wilting and has drooped to touch the ground.

MARY JANE
Dau. of S.W. &
MARY CASE,
DIED
Jan. 16, 1853
AGED
14 Y’s & [_______]

Remember youth as you pass by
As you are now so once was I
As I am now so you must be
Prepare for death and follow me.

Mary Jane was listed as nine years old in the 1850 Federal Census. She was one of eight children of Seth W. and Mary Case.

By the way, the Philo Thomas household is listed two lines above the Seth W. Case household in the 1850 Federal Census. Their daughter Margaret, whose gravestone was featured here yesterday, has not yet been born.

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

From epitaph to hymn to epitaph

2011-12-16T09:41:00.001-05:00

The marker at the grave of Margaret J. Thomas (d. 1877) is a draped pedestal topped by an open book. Considering this monument stands in a churchyard cemetery and bears references to Jesus on its face, surmising that the book is meant to be a Bible is not unreasonable.

he giveth his beloved sleep.
MARGARET J.
DAU. OF
P. & A. THOMAS,
DIED
AUG. 8, 1877:
Aged 26 Yrs.
9 Ms. 8 Ds.

Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep
From which none ever wakes to weep
A calm and undisturbed repost
Unbroken by the last of foes.

The epitaph is the first verse from the hymn “Asleep in Jesus, Blessed Sleep,” written by Margaret Mackay (b. 1802, d. 1887), a native of Scotland.

It is written that Mrs. Mackay once visited a chapel cemetery in Devonshire, England where she noticed a gravestone with the simple words “Sleeping in Jesus.” According to Nicholas Smith writing in Songs from the Hearts of Women (1903), “the expressive inscription and the impressive stillness of the scene gave birth to the hymn.”

Asleep in Jesus! Blessèd sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep;
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Unbroken by the last of foes.

Asleep in Jesus! Oh, how sweet,
To be for such a slumber meet,
With holy confidence to sing
That death has lost his venomed sting!

Asleep in Jesus! Peaceful rest,
Whose waking is supremely blessed;
No fear, no woe, shall dim that hour
That manifests the Savior’s power.

Asleep in Jesus! Oh, for me
May such a blessèd refuge be!
Securely shall my ashes lie
And wait the summons from on high.

Asleep in Jesus! time nor space
Debars this precious “hiding place”;
On Indian plains or Lapland snows
Believers find the same respose.

Asleep in Jesus! Far from thee
Thy kindred and their graves may be;
But there is still a blessèd sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep.

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Epitaph: Thou’rt gone to the grave

2011-12-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

A fallen, broken gravestone marks the graves of Lucy Wilson Cellar (d. 1847) and three of her infant children.

LUCY WILSON
Wife of
JOHN F. CELLAR
Died June 2, 1847. Æ.39 Yrs.
ALSO
their three Infant children

JAMES HOGUE
DIED
Jan. 20, 1843.
Aged 26 ds.

JOSEPH AXTELL
DIED
Oct. 16, 1846
[Aged _____]

JANE VANDERMAN
DIED
Nov. 20, 1845
Æ.9 mo. & 8 d[s.]
Suffer little children
to come unto me and
forbid them not for of
such is the Kingdom
[of Heaven.]

But that is just the top piece of the stone. There is also an interesting epitaph that was originally at the bottom.

Thou’rt gone to the grave,
But ’twere wrong to deplore thee,
When God was thy ransom,
Thy guardian and guide,
He gave thee and took thee,
And soon will restore thee,
Where death has no sting,
Since the Saviour has died.

Bishop Reginald Heber

The epitaph was taken from a funeral hymn written by Reginald Heber (b. 1783, d. 1826) after the death of his first child. Here is the full version:

Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore thee,
Though sorrows and darkness encompass the tomb;
The Savior has passed through its portal before thee,
And the lamp of His love is thy guide through the gloom.

Thou art gone to the grave, we no longer behold thee,
Nor tread the rough path of the world by thy side;
But the wide arms of mercy are spread to enfold thee,
And sinners may hope, since the Sinless has died.

Thou art gone to the grave, and, its mansion forsaking,
Perhaps thy tried spirit in doubt lingered long;
But the sunshine of Heaven beamed bright on thy waking,
And the song which thou heard’st was the seraphims’ song.

Thou art gone to the grave, but ’twere wrong to deplore thee,
When God was thy ransom, thy guardian, thy guide;
He gave thee, and took thee, and soon will restore thee,
Where death has no sting, since the Savior hath died.

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Newton F. Howison

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

My stop at Brown Cemetery was a quick one. The cemetery is small, and the only parking was at the side of the road—barely. There was not a lot of traffic on the country road, but what there was was moving fast.

I took a few photos and was back on the road in minutes. One photo I took was the small, marble gravestone of a baby: Newton F. Howison (d. 1864).

NEWTON F.
SON OF C.O. & M
HOWISON,
Deid [sic] Sep. 15, 1864
Aged 2 ms. 15 ds.
Little Newton’s parents may be Charles O. and Mary Howison, who are buried not far from here in Prospect Cemetery. They both lived long lives.

Brown Cemetery, Marion County, Ohio

Jacob Colflesh, Pennsylvania native

2011-12-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

According to his gravestone in Liberty Church Cemetery, Jacob Colflesh (b. 1787, d. 1877) lived to be 90 years old.

The inscription is carved as though on a scroll, which is sometimes understood to symbolize life and time. Look at the top of the scroll. See how a good portion has been rolled up? This may represent Mr. Colflesh’s long life, now complete.

And look at the bonus information on the stone! Date and place of birth, year he came to Ohio.

JACOB COLFLESH.
BORN JAN. 30, 1787
IN THE STATE OF PENN
EMIGRATED TO OHIO
IN 1837,
DIED
AUG. 9, 1877,
AGED
90 YS. & 7 MS.

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

An intelligent working Christian

2011-12-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

Liberty Church Cemetery sits at the busy intersection of two country roads in Delaware County, Ohio. The old Liberty Presbyterian Church stands there as well, although the congregation now meets next door in a large, Amish-built barn church.

One of the graves in the church graveyard is that for Robert McCoy Cellar (d. 1861), “an intelligent working Christian.”

ROBERT McCOY CELLAR
DIED
March 5, 1861
AGED
76 Y^RS 3 M^O 9 D^S

He was an intelligent working
Christian, and for many years
filled the office of Ruling Elder
in the Presbyterian Church.

And the Spirit and the bride say come and let him
that heareth say come and let him that is athirst
come and whosever will let him take the water of
life freely.

REV. XXII 17.

Liberty Church Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Tree versus stone: Tree wins

2011-12-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Joe Crapyou, quarryman

2011-12-10T07:52:00.001-05:00

The cross-shaped marker at the grave of Joe Crapyou (b. 1865, d. 1948) is simple, classic, and (to my eye) quite beautiful.

1865
JOE CRAPYOU
1948
Joe Crapyou, born in Italy, worked at the Marble Cliff Quarry in Columbus, Ohio. The quarry was once the largest limestone quarry in the United States.

Several years ago, the weekly newspaper Grandview ThisWeek featured the Marble Cliff Quarry in its “Moments in Time” column:

An article in the October 2, 1880 Columbus Dispatch documented a reporter’s visit to the quarry, where he witnessed a planned explosion that displaced an estimated 700 tons of rock. “The Marble Cliff quarry [owned by J. E. Price] is working 29 men at present, and as an inducement for more men to come here, Mr. Price has raised the wages to $1.50 per day and offers house rent free.” He went on to say that eighty railroad cars per week were loaded at the quarry, and in 23 years, seven acres of stone had been removed, and ninety acres remained... Most of the workers in the local quarries were Italian immigrants and lived in the “Italian Settlement” at Glenn and Fifth in Grandview.

According to his death certificate, Joe (Joseph) Crapyou lived at 1397 West Fifth Avenue in Grandview at the time of this death, about half a mile from the intersection listed above as the site of the Italian Settlement.

From FamilySearch.org

In the map below, B marks the Joe Crapyou home; A marks the intersection of Glenn and Fifth Avenues. The old quarry site is to the left, now mostly residential, the quarry pits converted to lakes.

Click to enlarge

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Epitaph: Thou joyous youth!

2011-12-09T07:56:00.001-05:00

The roses carved on the gravestone of Robert Lisle (d. 18??) are weathered and nearly unrecognizable. It will only get worse. The stone is lying on the ground in two pieces. You can see tire marks on its face left by the industrial lawn mowers that help maintain the grounds of the cemetery.

ROB’T LISLE.
DIED
July 11, 18[??)
[destroyed]
6 mo. [11, 17, 14?] dy.

Thou joyous youth, hence learn how soon
Thy yeares may end their flight:
Long long before life’s brilliant noon
May come death’s gloomy night.

Amazingly, the epitaph is not only in one piece, but quite legible. It is a verse from a hymn written by William A. Muhlenberg (b. 1796, d. 1877) named “How short the race our friend has run,” a hint at Robert’s age.

How short the race our friend has run,
Cut down in all his bloom!
The course but yesterday begun
Now finished in the tomb!

Thou joyous youth! hence learn how soon
Thy years may end their flight:
Long, long before life’s brilliant noon
May come death’s gloomy night.

To serve thy God no longer wait,
To-day his voice regard;
To-morrow, mercy’s open gate
May be for ever barr’d.

And thus the Lord reveals his grace,
Thy youthful love to gain;
“The soul that early seeks my face
Shall never seek in vain.”

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

United Commercial Travelers of America

2011-12-08T15:30:00.000-05:00

In January, 1888 in Columbus, Ohio, eight traveling salesmen formed a new society for traveling salesmen, or commercial travelers. They founded the The Order of United Commercial Travelers of America to provide accident insurance and other benefits for traveling salesmen and their families.

A salesman’s sample case is a focal point of the society’s emblem. It was this emblem along with the title “Supreme Counselor” that caught my eye on the gravestone for William B. Emerson (b. 1872, d. 1921).

WILLIAM B. EMERSON
SUPREME COUNSELOR
BORN 1972 DIED 1921

At the time of his death, William Emerson was an editor employed by UCT. Did he perhaps edit their magazine, “The Sample Case”?

Emerson death certificate from FamilySearch.org

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Joseph N. Perkin

2011-12-07T06:30:00.000-05:00

The marker at the grave of Joseph N. Perkin (d. 1844) is toppled over and lying among the oak leaves in tiny Hamilton Cemetery.

The stone is decorated with almost cartoon-like carvings of oak leaves and acorns, which are often understood to represent maturity or “ripe old age.” Maturity does not fit with this child’s stone, but there is another interpretation for the acorns that does fit: The seed of the oak tree can be a symbol for potential.

IN
Memory of
JOSEPH N PERKIN :
Son of
S: & M: Perkin :
died March 17 1844
Aged 6 Yearſ .
& 51 dayſ .

The two instances of the medial or long s (ſ) on this stone are interesting in that the long s is normally seen at the beginning or in the middle of a word, not at the end.

Another obvious quirk on this gravestone is the representation of the age. It is counted in years and days instead of the more commonly seen years, months, days.

Hamilton Cemetery (aka Lenox School Cemetery), Union County, Ohio

Fingers crossed?

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

The dainty hand on the gravestone for Amanda M. Evans (d. 1860) holds a rose, normally understood to be a symbol for beauty. The hand holds the rose between thumb and middle finger, freeing the index finger to point toward heaven.

At first glance, it almost looks as though the fingers are crossed, doesn’t it?

AMANDA M.
Wife of
SOL. EVANS
DIED
May 19, 1860;
Aged 27 y’rs
8 mo. 10 d’s.

Amanda Evans died before the census was taken in 1860, and her death is listed in the mortality schedule for Perry Township, Franklin County, Ohio. She died of consumption after having been ill for 2 months.

From Ancestry.com U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

The Brown gate

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Carved on a gravestone, a gate is generally understood to represent the passage to heaven. Those of us who look upon the gravestone remain on the earthly side of the gate; the deceased have passed through the gate to heaven.

The large monument at the graves of David Brown (b. 1842, d. 1898) and Olive Zinn Brown (b. 1849, d. 1894) is in the shape of a gate, announcing to all that Mr. and Mrs. Brown have passed into heaven

DAVID BROWN

DEC. 16, 1842,

JULY 19, 1898.

OLIVE ZINN
WIFE OF

DAVID BROWN

SEPT. 8, 1849,

JAN. 29, 1894.

The 1880 U.S. Federal Census shows the Browns living in Columbus, Ohio, which is home to the cemetery in which they are buried. David Brown was working in a grain elevator while Mrs. Brown, who went by “Ollie,” was keeping house.

From Ancestry.com

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Three small stones and a window

2011-12-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

Union Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

“Adgyfodiad mawr”

2011-12-03T08:15:00.001-05:00

The tall tablet marker at the grave of young Margaret Herbert (d. 1840) is quite stately looking with its architectural cap and formally draped urn.

The epitaph is a version of the popular Friends and physicians could not save. The bonus here is that after an English verse, there is a second verse written in Welsh.

TO the Memory of
MARGARET,
Daughter of
BENJAMIN and
MARGARET HERBERT,
who departed this life
June 13, 1840.
Aged 18 Years
& 13 days.
Phycisians could not save,
This body from the grave;
Nor can the grave confine me here,
When Christ doth call I must appear.

Fy nghorph, er hardded oedd ei wedd.
Raid orwedd yma yn y bedd;
Yn fwyd i bryfed man y llawr,
Hyd foreu’r adgyfodiad mawr.

Here, letter for letter, are the Google Translate results for the Welsh epitaph as transcribed above:

My body, though hardded was in his thirties.
This must lie in the grave;
In the floor space food for insects,
Up foreu’r great resurrection.

Look at the leaf detail on the carved sprigs that decorate the inscription circle: A leaf is folded back to “make room” for the inscription.

Can you identify the leaves? Based on my recent experience with David’s daffodils, I looked up the national tree of Wales, but Margaret’s leaves clearly are not sessile oak.

Radnor Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Gone on before

2011-12-02T06:35:00.000-05:00

The gravestone for Patience Beardslee (d. 1870) is a handsome example of a clasped-hands marker.

Notice that one hand is a woman’s; the other, a man’s. It is sometimes suggested that the grasping hand (here, the man’s) represents the spouse who was first to die welcoming the other to Heaven.

Is that true in the case of Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Beardslee (Beardsley)?

The epitaph on Patience Beardslee’s stone declares that she has “gone on before.” In addition, the 1880 U.S. Federal Census appears to show Mr. J. G. Beardslee (Beardsley), then 70 years old, with another wife.

PATIENCE
Wife of
J.G. BEARDSLEE
Died
Aug. 25, 1870
Aged 58 yrs.

Not dead but gone on before.

The 1870 Federal census shows both Patience and Job G. Beardsley living in Union County, Ohio. The census taker visited their home in July. Patience died in August.

1870, Claibourne Twp., Union Co., Ohio

1880, Claibourne Twp., Union Co., Ohio

Claibourne Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

David’s daffodils

2011-12-01T06:35:00.001-05:00

Until I came upon the gravestone for David Owens (d. 1870) in Radnor Cemetery, I had never noticed daffodils carved on a gravestone, other than perhaps as minor players in a bouquet of mixed flowers.

DAVID OWENS
Died 1870.
Aged 55y.

A native of wales.

Often, the daffodil is understood to represent “death of youth, desire, art, grace, beauty, deep regard.” David Owen was not especially young when he died. Are the daffodils meant to show that he was artful? Held in deep regard?

Before we jump to conclusions, let’s throw more information into the mix: The Owens marker tells us (although it is difficult to read in the photo above) that David Owens, like many early settlers in Radnor, Ohio, was a native of Wales.

You guessed it: The daffodil is the national flower of Wales.

Radnor Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Oscar Ray Titus

2011-11-30T06:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Oscar Ray Titus (d. 1896).

The simple marble marker at Oscar’s grave is topped with empty shoes, which present a strong image: A child is gone.

OSCAR RAY
TITUS
NOV. 8, 1896
NOV. 29, 1896

Walnut Grove Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Epitaph: Her happy release

2011-11-29T07:24:00.000-05:00

On the afternoon that I visited West Rushville Cemetery to photograph the gravestone of Jesse Rowles (aka the stone with the carver’s advertisement), I also photographed the nearby gravestone of Sarah Louisa Rowles (d. 1842).

Sarah is the right age to be a daughter or niece of Jesse, though I have no evidence that reveals their relationship. It is interesting to note that her gravestone includes neither “wife of” nor “daughter of.”

The Sarah Rowles stone is not signed, but it is consistent in style and material with other stones by local stone cutter John Strickler.

In memory
of
SARAH LOUISA
ROWLES,
depart this life
November 9, 1842:
aged 33 years, 6
months, & 2
days.

The epitaph is taken from the hymn “Death of a Sister,” which can be found in an 1806 collection of hymns assembled by Englishman John Dobell (b. 1757, d. 1840). That collection attributes the hymn to “Anon,” and I have found no other source that names the author.

Compare the epitaph on the stone to this version from the Dobell collection:

’Tis finish’d! the conflict is past,
The heaven-born spirit is fled;
Her wish is accomplish’d at last,
And now she’s entomb’d with the dead.

The months of affliction are o’er,
The days and the nights of distress;
We see her in anguish no more—
She’s gain’d her happy release.

No sickness, or sorrow, or pain,
Shall ever disquiet her now;
For death to her spirit was gain,
Since Christ was her life when below.

Her soul has now taken its flight
To mansions of glory above,
To mingle with angels of light.
And dwell in the kingdom of love.

The victory now is obtain’d;
She’s gone her dear Saviour to see;
Her wishes she fully has gain’d—
She’s now where she longed to be.

The coffin, the shroud, and the grave,
To her were no objects of dread;
On him who is mighty to save,
Her soul was with confidence stay’d.

Then let us forbear to complain,
That she is now gone from our sight;
We soon shall behold her again,
With new and redoubled delight.

West Rushville Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

The graveyard by the schoolhouse

2011-11-28T06:34:00.000-05:00

Only two stones, one headstone and one footstone, stand on their own in Hamilton Cemetery.

This tiny, inactive graveyard in rural Union County, Ohio is easy to miss—unless you are aware that it is next door to an old, brick one-room schoolhouse: Lenox School.

The single standing headstone marks the grave of Livonia Shaw (d. 1843). Her gravestone is mostly unadorned. In fact, except for a small pinwheel design, there is a large blank area where one would expect a willow or other such decorative art.

In memory of
LIVONIA wife of
W^m SHAW
who died Aug 9,
1843. Aged 3[0?]
years, & 3 mo.
Hamilton Cemetery (aka Lenox School Cemetery), Union County, Ohio

Silent Sunday: Steeple

2011-11-27T07:30:00.000-05:00

Old Saint Peters Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

I see thee still

2011-11-25T18:13:00.001-05:00

There can be no doubt that the open book carved on the gravestone for Marilla G. Jameson (d. 1851) is a Bible. On it is carved a version of Revelation 14:13.

Blessed are the dead
which die in the Lord from
henceforth: Yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may rest
from their labours and thei
r works do follow them.

Subtly dimensioned sunbursts frame the stone’s primary inscription. Visually the oval provides a nice contrast to the straight lines of the rectangular stone, the rectangular Bible.

MARILLA, G.
Wife
of R. R. Jameson;
Died March 20’
1851; Aged 27
y’s, 3 mo. &
8 ds.
The epitaph is small, tucked away at the bottom, easy to overlook. But be sure to stop and read this one. It is taken from the moving poem “I See Thee Still” by American poet Charles Sprague (b. 1791, d. 1875).

I see thee still;
Remembrance, faithful to her trust,
Calls thee in beauty from the dust;
Thou comest in the morning light;
Thou’rt with me through the gloomy night;
In dreams I meet thee as of old;
Then thy soft arms my neck enfold,
And thy sweet voice is in my ear; —
In every scene to memory dear
I see thee still.

I see thee still
In every hallowed token round;
This little ring thy finger bound,
This lock of hair thy forehead shaded,
This silken chain by thee was braided;
These flowers, all withered now, like thee,
Sweet sister, thou didst cull for me;
This book was thine; here thou didst read;
This picture, ah! yes, here, indeed,
I see thee still.

I see thee still;
Here was thy summer noon’s retreat;
Here was thy favorite fireside seat;
This was thy chamber, — here, each day,
I sat and watched thy sad decay;
Here, on this bed, thou last didst lie;
Here, on this pillow, thou didst die.
Dark hour! once more its woes unfold;
As then I saw thee, pale and cold,
I see thee still.

I see thee still;
Thou art not in the grave confined, —
Death cannot chain the immortal mind;
Let earth close o’er its sacred trust,
But goodness dies not in the dust;
There, O my sister, ’tis not thee
Beneath the coffin’s lid I see;
Thou to a fairer land art gone;
There, let me hope, my journey done,
To see thee still.

Africa Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

A soldier who died “in Hospital”

2011-11-23T18:36:00.001-05:00

When Ohioan James J. Vansant joined the Union Army in 1864, he was eighteen years old. He died “of disease” just months later in Alexandria, Virginia.

This soldier’s gravestone is decorated with an eagle, head bowed, a banner in his beak, perched on a flag-draped shield. Stars encircle the carving.

JAMES J.
Son of
John S. & Lucinda
VANSANT
Corporal of Co. G. 180 Reg. O.V.I.
DIED
in Hospital at Alexandria, Va.
May 1, 1865
AGED
18 Ys. 5 Mo. 3 Ds.

From Ancestry.com

What about the discrepancy between the Ancestry military record date of death and the gravestone date of death? Mar v. May could be transcription error.

Claibourne Cemetery, Union County, Ohio

A feast of gravestones: Burial Hill, Plymouth

2011-11-22T19:56:00.002-05:00

Take a break after the Thanksgiving dinner dishes are done and visit Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts—if only virtually.

Here are two gems in the public domain, available through Google Books:

The 49-page booklet (which sold for 25 cents in 1896) Handbook of Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts: Its History, Its Famous Dead, and Its Quaint Epitaphs by Frank H. Perkins.
Another 1896 book, Epitaphs from Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts, From 1657 to 1892 by Bradford Kingman.

Happy Thanksgiving, fellow gravestoners!

From Handbook of Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts

Wednesday’s child: Margaret Smith

2011-11-22T17:38:00.002-05:00

The angel in the child-sized carving watches over the grave of Margaret Smith (d. 1847), young daughter of M. and M. Smith. The angel holds a book in one hand, a trumpet in the other.

MARGARET
daughter of
M. & M. Smith
died Feb. 15, 1847
aged [6?] yrs. 6 mo.
& 18 ds.
An online list of burial records maintained by the Delaware County Genealogical Society lists Margaret’s father as Mathias Smith, and her year of birth as 1842. On FindAGrave.com, Margaret’s parents are identified as Mathias and Mary Smith, and her date of birth is listed as July 18, 1842.

Just for fun, look how the lichen has made a halo on the angel’s head!

Oak Grove Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Epitaph: Why mourn for the dead?

2011-11-21T18:31:00.003-05:00

The sandstone marker at the grave of Nathaniel W. Barrows (d. 1844) features a large carving of a willow, but not in the usual spot at the top of the stone. Instead, both the name and the willow are carved under the date of death.

DIED,
April 13, 1844,

NATHANIEL W. BARROWS

Æt 22 yr’s. 2 mo’s. 5 d’s
Why mourn for the dead, whom the Father has taken,
Serenely they sleep in their turf covered beds,
But ah ! not forsaken for angels shall waken,
And guide them to glory, why mourn for the dead,

Though here was all sorrow anguish and weeping,
Yet rich was the seed that the husbandman shed,
And one who is keeping the field for the reaping,
Shall hallow the harvest; why mourn for the dead.

The epitaph is from the poem “Why mourn for the dead” by John S. Clark. According to Lays of the heart, a collection of Clark’s poems published in London in 1836, Clark wrote the poem “on the decease of a most amiable and deeply lamented relative, Mrs. Charles M. B—.”

Here is the complete poem, as published in 1836:

Why mourn for the dead whom the Father hath taken?
Serenely they sleep in their turf-covered bed;
But oh! not forsaken, for angels shall waken
And guide them to glove;—why mourn for the dead?

Though here all was anguish, and labour, and weeping,
Yet precious the seed that the husbandman spread!
And One who is keeping the field till the reaping
Shall hallow the harvest;—why mourn for the dead?

Oh! theirs is the “raiment of whiteness;” and never
By them shall the tears of affliction be shed;
For blessed for ever, they drink of the “river”
Of life and salvation;—why mourn for the dead?

Why mourn ye for those who are wand’ring together
In realms where the joys of the just cannot fade;
Those mansions of ether where hearts never wither,
And friends never sunder;—why mourn for the dead?

Africa Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

“Gone but not lost”

2011-11-20T09:09:00.006-05:00

The hand carving on the gravestone for Mary Ann Ferson (d. 1848) shows an unusually long, slender finger pointing toward Heaven.

The pointing hand, the message above it, and the short epitaph deliver a consistent message: Mary Ann has died, but her soul is not lost.

MARY ANN.
Daughter of
JOHN & M. B. Ferson
DIED
Oct. 3, 1848,
Æ 24 y’rs & 8 mo’s

Earth has her dust,
Her friends have her memory,
And Christ has her spirit.

Africa Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Not all graveyard willows are stone

2011-11-19T11:03:00.001-05:00

Oller Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Epitaph: Beyond this veil of tears

2011-11-19T07:32:00.032-05:00

After visiting so many cemeteries and photographing so many gravestones, my inclination is to pass over the “ordinary” stones.

A sandstone tablet marker with a rather ordinary draped urn motif? I have seen it hundreds of times, if not more.

Still, something made me stop and snap a few photos of the marker at the grave of Abel Tinkham (d. 1828). It does show surprisingly little weather damage for an 1820s stone, but it is the poetic epitaph that stands out.

Abel Tinkham,
die. Nov. 7, 1828;
aged 69 years.

Beyond this veil of tears
I live, a life above;
Unmeasured by the flight of years,
Where all that life is love.

The epitaph is adapted from “The Issues of Life and Death,” a hymn written by James Montgomery (b. 1771, d. 1854).

O where shall rest be found,
Rest for the weary soul?
’T were vain the ocean-depths to sound,
Or pierce to either pole;
The world can never give
The bliss for which we sigh;
’T is not the whole of life to live;
Nor all of death to die.

Beyond this vale of tears,
There is a life above,
Unmeasured by the flight of years;
And all that life is love; —
There is a death, whose pang
Outlasts the fleeting breath;
O what eternal horrors hang
Around “the second death!”

Lord God of truth and grave,
Teach us that death to shun,
Lest we be banished from they face,
And evermore undone:
Here would we end our quest;
Alone are found in thee,
The life of perfect love,—the rest
Of immortality.

Africa Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Nancy Gray, young wife

2011-11-18T09:21:00.001-05:00

John Gray (Grey) and Nancy Stith were married on November 5, 1840 in Fairfield County, Ohio. Before their first anniversary, 17-year-old Nancy Stith Gray died.

Nancy Gray is buried in Baptist Corners Cemetery beneath a simple tablet stone that features side-by-side sunbursts.

In memory of
NANCY GRAY,
wife of
John Gray,
died October 2,
1841, aged 17 years,
10 months, & 12 days.

Marriage record from FamilySearch.org

The gravestone is signed by Ezra Shane, who is listed in the 1850 Federal Census as “Laborer.”

Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Mr. Francis Christopher Huber

2011-11-16T19:21:00.002-05:00

The gravestone for Francis Christopher Huber (b. 1777, d. 1831) shows some serious delamination, but much of the stone is still legible—including the respectful “Mr.”

IN MEMORY
OF
MR. FRANCIS
CHRISTOPHER
HUBER, BORN
APRIL 18, A.D.
1777, AND DIED
MAY 2, A.D. 18
31 A[GED 5]7 Y,
& [1 M.?]
The badly damaged central carving was once a willow. The secondary decorations, interesting in their own right, are still in great shape.

Old Saint Peters Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Infant Nisely

2011-11-15T17:30:00.002-05:00

No name, no gender. Just “an infant” born (and died) to Jacob and Hannah Nisley in 1833.

AN INFANT.
of jacob & hannah nisley
was born february 24,
1833; & departed this life
november 20, 1833: aged
8 months & 20 days.
Am I the only one who is surprised that an 8-month-old infant was buried without a first name?

Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Face of an angel

2011-11-14T18:16:00.002-05:00

From a distance, I decided that this gravestone was for a child because the angel’s face looks young, cherub-like.

Instead, it stands at the grave of a young, adult woman, Charlotte Danforth (d. 1858).

CHARLOTTE
WIFE OF
A DANFORTH
DIED
AUG 11 1858
AGED
33 Y
Honestly, I am not sure how to classify the carving on this gravestone. Is it an angel? Is it a winged face (soul effigy)?

The wings are not attached to the face, and I am going to take that literally and suggest that this is not a winged face. It is not a typical one, at any rate. Nor is the age of the gravestone typical for winged faces. Awfully “new.”

In fact, the wings are not attached to anything.

No matter how we classify or interpret this face, one thing is certain: It is a lovely face.

West Rushville Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Marguerite Williams

2011-11-13T15:08:00.033-05:00

The metal marker (not zinc, real bronze) at the grave of Marguerite Williams (b. 1841, d. 1873), its attractive verdigris a testament to its age, declares her family position: Mother.

MARGUERITE
WILLIAMS
BORN
DEC. 25 1841
DIED
APRIL 26 1873

MOTHER

Radnor Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

On the way to Old Saint Peters Cemetery

2011-11-12T17:57:00.004-05:00

Fairfield County, Ohio

Twin urns and a broken column

2011-11-12T08:43:00.000-05:00

The gravestone for Emily McCandlish (d. 1853), once no doubt a lovely white, has a compartmented panel across the top with three carvings: a broken column and two matched urns.

Neither symbol is unusual, but they are not so often found together. The urns are a common symbol for mourning. The column is broken to represent a life cut short.

EMILY,
Dau of R & M
M^cCANDLISH.
DIED
Sept. 21, 1853,
Ag’d 18 Yrs.
9 m. 12 ds.
At first glance, the gravestone appears to be in great shape. But a closer look at the carvings shows an unfortunate loss of detail due to weathering.

By the way, this column-plus-urns motif was popular in this cemetery, especially in the McCandlish family. Look to the left of the Emily gravestone and you can see another, standing in the shade. That is the gravestone for Elizabeth McCandlish Emrich (d. 1851), sister of Emily.

West Rushville Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Jacob Spitler, Revolutionary War veteran

2011-11-11T08:16:00.028-05:00

The siltstone marker at the grave of Jacob Spitler (b. 1749, d. 1829) stands in the front row of stones, a few steps off the road that borders rural Baptist Corners Cemetery.

A bronze DAR plaque marks this grave as that of a Revolutionary War veteran.

Though I would prefer that the DAR chapter had not mounted the plaque directly on the gravestone, we can make a good assumption about the carved words that the plaque hides.

[JACOB]
[SPITLER]
who was born
September 29,^th
1749; Died april
16,1829; aged 79
years, 6 month, 17
days.
Weep not my dearest friends;
Nor shed your tears in vain,
My face youl see no more;
Till call’d to rise again.

The plaque reads

REVOLUTIONARY
SOLDIER
JACOB SPITLER
1775 1783
PLACED BY
GOLDEN SPIKE CHAPTER, D.A.R.

Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Three willows

2011-11-10T06:36:00.000-05:00

In 19th-century cemeteries, weeping willow trees are a popular gravestone symbol for mourning.

The gravestone for Joseph Freich (d. 1842) has not one willow, but three. They overlap neatly forming a small, symmetric willow grove.

In memory of
JOSEPH
FREICH,
who departed this
life February 15^th,
1842; aged 53 Y;
1 month, & 26 days.

The epitaph is taken from a rather to-the-point old hymn. The lyric writer is not known.

See how the wicked kingdom
Is falling every day,
And still our blessed Jesus
Is winning souls away;
But O how I am tempted,
No mortal tongue can tell,
So often I’m surrounded
With enemies from hell.

With weeping and with praying,
My Jesus I have found,
To crucify old nature,
And make his grace abound.
Dear children, don’t be weary,
But march on in the way;
For Jesus will stand by you,
And be your guard and stay.

If sinners will serve Satan,
And join with one accord,
Dear brethren, as for my part,
I’m bound to serve the Lord;
And if you will go with me,
Pray give to me your hand,
And we’ll march on together,
Unto the promised land.

Through troubles and distresses,
We’ll make our way to God;
Though earth and hell oppose us,
We’ll keep the heavenly road.
Our Jesus went before us,
And many sorrows bore,
And we who follow after,
Can never meet with more.

Thou dear to me, my brethren,
Each one of you I find.
My duty now compels me
To leave you all behind;
But while the parting grieves us,
I humbly ask your prayers,
To bear me up in trouble,
And conquer all my fears.

And now, my loving brothers,
I bid you all farewell!
With you my loving sisters,
I can no longer dwell.
Farewell to every mourner!
I hope the Lord you’ll find,
To ease you of your burden,
And give you peace of mind.

Farewell, poor careless sinners!
I love you dearly well;
I’ve labored much to bring you
With Jesus Christ to dwell,
I now am bound to leave you—
O tell me, will you go?
But if you won’t decide it,
I’ll bid you all adieu!

We’ll bid farewell to sorrow,
To sickness, care, and pain,
And mount aloft with Jesus
For evermore to reign;
We’ll join to sing his praises
Above the ethereal blue,
And then, poor careless sinners
What will become of you?

Old Saint Peters Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Drucilla A. Plunket

2011-11-09T06:47:00.000-05:00

DRUCILLA A.
dau. of
R. & A. V.
PLUNKET,
died
Apr. 2, 1868
Aged

The size of this small stone for Drucilla A. Plunket (d. 1868) is the first hint that this is a child’s gravestone. She is identified as a “daughter of,” but not “wife of.” Another hint.

But her age at death can no longer be read, so I took a few minutes to see whether I could find her date of birth.

1. Delaware County Historical Society burials—strike one
2. FindAGrave.com—strike two
3. FamilySearch.org—strike three
4. Ancestry.com—strike, uh, four

Strike out.

Let me take that back. I did find, via FamilySearch.org, a marriage record for Richard Plunket and Ann Virginia Gates dated August 13, 1865. A wisp of a hint that Drucilla may have been less than three years old at her death.

The dove holds what is probably meant to be a sprig of olive as it ascends, representing hope or promise.

Oller Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

Pedestaled obelisk

2011-11-08T06:37:00.000-05:00

The pedestaled obelisk at the grave of George Black (d. 1842) is quite a handsome monument. Its tulip-shaped top is unusual—and look at the nice repeating patterns of the carvings.

GEORGE
BLACK.
DIED, SEPT, 17
AD. 1842. AG. 32
YRS. 5MO. & 5.
DAYS,
The stonecutter mark at the base may be George Fetters, although there is no “rs” (the corner is damaged), and what I interpret as an abbreviation for “George” is unusual.

Census records for the area show Fetters families nearby, including a George who is recorded as a farmer. Maybe also a part-time stone carver?

Arnold-Bethel Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Did Mr. Rowles get a discount?

2011-11-07T06:29:00.000-05:00

Not long ago, I set out for West Rushville Cemetery in Fairfield County, Ohio to search for one particular gravestone. I have seen photos of the gravestone for Jesse Rowles (d. 1835) before, and I had to see it for myself.

The Rowles gravestone is similar to my Halloween post, the gravestone for Susan Spitler. It is carved by the same stone cutter (John Strickler), has identical verses as an epitaph, and features (even more) coffin carvings.

But this stone has something the Spitler stone does not: An advertisement for the stone cutter.

IN MEMORY
O F
JESSE ROWLES,
whoe died May 7, A.D. 1835
Aged 62 years, 6 months
and 28 days.
Go home dear friends and do not weep,
I am not dead but here to sleep;
Though cold and silent is my bed,
My rest is sweet, my sorrows fled.

I here will slumber underground,
Untill the last loud trump will sound
Then burst my tomb with sweet surprise,
And in my saviours image rise.

john Strickler. Stone Cuttr one mile
West of the Babtist meeting house.
at pleasant Run.

One Internet family historian cites Cemeteries of Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, Ohio, published by The Fairfield County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, which offers this insight into the location of the Strickler shop:

The intersection of Coonpath and Lake Roads is known as Baptist Corners. It is also called Strickler’s Corners because of the stonecutters who operated their business on the southeast corner.

Baptist Corners Cemetery (home of the Susan Spitler gravestone mentioned above) sits on the northeast corner of the intersection. There are, as you might expect, quite a few Strickler-carved gravestones there.

From Google Street View, Southeast corner of Coonpath and Lake Roads, Fairfield County, Ohio

West Rushville Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Broken jewels

2011-11-06T06:41:00.000-05:00

Old Saint Peters Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Can you translate?

2011-11-05T07:14:00.000-04:00

Inscriptions on older gravestones can be a challenge to read, especially when they are written in a foreign language.

Think of playing Wheel of Fortune in a language you do not read. Not easy to fill in those illegible blanks, is it? Then throw in the possibility of misspelled words.

The gravestone for a son of Samuel Albrecht is one such challenge, especially with its irregular lettering in all caps.

Except for a few bits and pieces, this inscription has me (and Google Translate) stumped.

ein sohn von Samuel Albrecht—a son of Samuel Albrecht
geborhren den 7 tag—born the 7 day
sie eltern—her (his?) parents
frei von sin—free from sin

At FindAGrave.com, a photo of this marker is posted on the memorial page for Samuel Albrecht. My mini-translation suggests this marker is for his son, who does not seem to be named on the gravestone. Or is he?

Can you translate?

Old Saint Peters Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Willow, urn, mourner

2011-11-04T08:24:00.001-04:00

The black mold (or is it a moss?) growing on the gravestone for Rebecca Hamm Spitler (d. 1857) makes it difficult to read the inscription. In fact, I needed an assist from FindAGrave.com.

But the carving still stands out: Under a willow tree, a man leans in his grief on a pedestal that supports a funerary urn. The trunk of the willow is especially graceful with its gentle, natural curves.

REBECCA
Wife of
MICHAEL HAMM
[Dau. of Henry & Mary]
SPITLER
DIED
[March 27,] 1857
AGED
26 Yrs. 5 Mos. & 17D.
Rebecca Spitler married Michael Hamm in Fairfield County, Ohio on December 20, 1855. Less than two years later, she died—illness? childbirth? accident?

From FamilySearch.org

Count me in the conservative ranks when it comes to gravestone restoration. Do no more than necessary, or you risk ending up with a “Stepford cemetery,” if you know what I mean.

That said, this stone is a perfect candidate for cleaning, don’t you think?

Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Simple willow

2011-11-03T06:37:00.000-04:00

The simple gravestone for Jacob Snyder (d. 1846) is not flashy, but it still has some interesting features: The shadow-like treatment of DIED is interesting, and the tablet itself is not rounded at the top, but comes to a point.

Add to that the attractively simple willow, and this becomes one nice gravestone. Too bad there is no carver’s mark—at least not one that is legible.

JACOB SNYDER
DIED
AUG. 11, 1846
Aged
[4? 7?]0 Yrs, 10 Mont[hs]
[illegible]

Old Saint Peters Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Samuel Saladay

2011-11-02T06:38:00.000-04:00

Young Samuel Saladay (b. 1836, d. 1843) died two days short of his seventh birthday.

His grave is marked with a simple gravestone crafted from siltstone, a material proven to hold up beautifully through years of our Ohio weather.

In
memory of
SAMUEL,
son of Jacob and
Elizabeth Saladay,
born Jan^r 29^th 1836,
died Jan^r 27^th 1843,
aged 6 years,
11 months & 29 days.

My Parents dear weep not for me,
My time was short and blessed is he
That called me to eternity

Old Saint Peters Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

Winged face

2011-11-01T06:32:00.000-04:00

Winged faces, also known as soul effigies are not common on gravestones here in central Ohio. What a surprise when, on an impulse, I pulled over at a tiny rural cemetery and quickly spied a winged face!

The winged face is on the sandstone marker at the grave of a baby, Jacob Kendler (d. 1827), suggesting the belief that his soul has risen to Heaven. The epitaph reinforces the interpretation.

JACOB
Son of
Jacob & Mary Kendler
Died Aug. 10th, 1827. aged
6 months & 18 days.
Go lovely Infant go to rest
Where sorrows never intervene
Heav’n in mercy thought it best
To call thee from this troubled scen[e.]

The boy’s name is carved in letters made up of flowers and leaves—lovely!

Arnold-Bethel Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio

A coffin for Halloween

2011-10-31T06:32:00.000-04:00

Some gravestone symbols are more subtle than others.

There is nothing subtle about coffins, like those on the gravestone for Susan Spitler (b. 1776, d. 1834).

IN MEMORY
OF
Susan, wife of John spitler
sen, who was born January
24, 1776; and died June
5, 1834: Aged 58 years, 5
months, 11 days.

There are two epitaphs on the stone, perhaps meant to be read as one. The second verse, versions of which I have seen before, is adapted from an Isaac Watts hymn.

Go home dear friends, and do not weep.
I am not dead but here to sleep;
Though cold and silent is my bed,
My rest is sweet my sorrows fled.

I here will slumber under ground,
Untill the last, loud trump shall sound,
Then burst my tomb with sweet surprise,
And in my saviours image rise.

Brushing away the dirt at the base of the gravestone reveals a signature: John Strickler, whose work can be seen in graveyards throughout the county.

Baptist Corners Cemetery, Fairfield County, Ohio